The Difference
by Jestin
Summary: What looked like a simple murder had the Remnant Of The Phoenix Council wondering, who knew it would lead to one of the biggest conspiracies of all of Tamriel?
1. Chapter 1: Cruel Reality

Chapter 1: Cruel Reality

The relentless rain pounded on their backs as the group of 7 Argonians trekked their way through the forest. It had taken days for them to reach Cyrodiil, after going through (insert Argonian land name here)'s territory. With only a small amount of gold coins between them, they were poor. All they owned were the ragged clothes on their backs and the rusted daggers and bows that they carried. The arrows were low in number and most were blunted, decreasing their effectiveness. The group was exhausted, and hoped that they would find a camp site soon, so that they may rest.

This continued, for at least another hour, before the leader noticed a abandoned campsite ahead. Sighs of relief echoed through the group's mouths as they slowed their pace, knowing they would be able to rest soon. The group set to work, there were only 3 beds on the site, with 7 of them to rest. 2 more beds were discovered. After around 20 minutes of arguing, yelling and consideration, a conclusion was drawn. There were to be five sleeping, while two stayed watch. What the watchmen didn't know, is the fact that since there was no accurate way to tell time, they didn't know just how long it would be before morning came.

It was therefore saddening of what happened. After days of constant exhaustion, with inadequate rest stops in between, even in the coldness, the watchmen fell asleep. This was what killed them all.

Bandits sneaked up to the watchmen, and slit their throats with daggers that far surpassed the Argonian's in every way. Whilst this happened, the rest of the bandits moved to kill the sleeping Argonians. The leader of the bandits moved to a solitary figure. He pulled his massive hammer, Shatterbone, off of his back. With two hands, he raised it in the air, above his head. With bull-like strength, he brought the hammer down, right on the sleeping Argonian's head, crushing the bones and brain instantly. A smile crept across his face as he sheathed Shatterbone.

You see, the camp the Argonians had found refuge in was actually a set-up. This group of bandits preyed on weary travelers. The leader, Jakar, did not have any love for Argonians. His group was recognised by their red and yellow attire, which was usually just patches of the colours sewn together to create a garment. However, these weren't just any low ranked group members, these members wore clothes carefully designed, and armored. The shades of the colours varied on most of them, but they were recognised as high ranking members, also due to the fact they had a emblem somewhere on their attire that showed their rank. Travelers who slept in their fake camp, were killed and any items of value were looted from their bodies. This group would soon lead a takeover on the town of Skingrad. These bandits, would soon rule over one of the major cities of Cyrodiil, their name, is Crimson Woe (CW).


	2. Chapter 2: Bleak Discovery

A small group of trained fighters moved through the woods, scouting them for anything out of place, anything posing a threat, or anything hostile. This group was different from Crimson Woe, they meant no harm to anyone, no matter what the race of the person is. This group was a "good" group, as it had been labeled. This was Remnant Of The Phoenix (ROTP). There had been reports of a hostile group in the area, wearing a red and yellow garb. This was just a basic scout group, no really high-ranking members in here. The leader of the group, Joexus, called them to a halt.

"All right men, so far, we've collected no information to bring back, Jarrenum, have you got anything written down?"

"I'm afraid not sir, we've seen nothing." Jarrenum responded.

"All right, we'll move on for now. If we can't find anything soon, we'll take a quick break, and split into groups."

The rest of the group grunted in agreement, and continued their journey, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. This was a scout group, trained to collect information of the surroundings, before reporting back to their superiors, giving any information collected. So far, their efforts were useless, nothing had been found. They were travelling the main road, so anything not close or on the main road was out of their range.

They stopped for their break, and soon after, split into 2 groups of 3. They ventured more off the road, so they could see farther. After around an hour of this, one of the groups, which consisted of Joexus, Jarrenum and Justeron, saw something. The smoking remains of a campfire. They signalled to regroup, and when this was done, they circled the camp. From their surveyance, their were dead bodies around with no perpetrators around. Joexus signalled over 2 of his men, and when they reached him, he said to them, "I want you two to scout the entire area, within 200ft. A quick scan, mind you." he explained.

The men nodded in agreement, and performed this as the rest of the group journeyed in. It was a simple camp, but something had happened. This was where Justeron really worked well. He had a keen eye for detail, which made him an invaluable asset in a scout group. He studied the scene, and examined the way each person was killed.

"Jarrenum, are you ready?" Justeron asked of the scribe after a minute of surveying the scene. "I'm ready." Jarrenum replied.

At this moment, the two men who Joexus had sent to scout returned. "The area is clear after a 200ft sweep, there are no hostiles within that distance, and as far as we could see, none coming from the distance." One of the soldiers explained after conversing with his partner to see if his results were any different. His protocol was expected, he was well-trained in scouting.

"Good work, now, Justeron, if you would." Joexus responded, gesturing to the scene.

"7 Argonian victims, 6 killed by a cut to the neck, 1 killed by a blunt object to the head." Justeron exclaimed as he walked around the scene, Jarrenum following in his footsteps, furiously scribbling, copying his words to his sheet.

"All male, around 8 perpetrators were present here, more a little further back, unsure of amount, estimate would be 20." Justeron continued, as Jarrenum continued writing down everything he said.

"Hold on, how can you tell how many were here and how many were in the bushes? Heck, how do you even know there were some in the bushes?" One of the other scouts interrupted in amazement.

Justeron didn't even turn to look at the speaker, he just responded "There are 8 pairs of tracks in the dirt, and the grass is muffled down, which was done recently. The area could fit about 30 men, but they were definitely moving around."

"You two, go and examine the area where the enemies sat in wait. They may have left something behind" Joexus ordered the two, suddenly thinking of the idea. "Make sure to check the trees for anything as well" Justeron added to the end of Joexus' order.

"This happened around less than one day ago, victim's gums are only partially reddening, which happens when breathing is stopped. Cuts were done with something no larger than a dagger, and the blunt weapon was quite large. Victims were robbed of valuables, victims were armed, but sleeping, so had no defence against attack. Most likely this was executed in stealth. A big person would be needed to wield the blunt weapon which killed this solitary victim. Victim's weapons were unfit to fight against much, could barely be used properly for hunting. Conclusion to this is even if the victims knew of the attack, it would've been highly unlikely that they would have survived. These victims were from Black Marsh, most likely thinking this as a safe haven. In conclusion, victims were murdered in sleep, cause unknown." Justeron recited from his head. Jarrenum was used to Justeron's way of talking, and got everything he said down. Of course, they would still need to present a verbal report to their officer, but a written copy was required as well, for documentary use. This method saved time.

"Joexus, sir! I've found a piece of clothing ripped off on a small branch sticking out of this tree." One of the men said as they handed it to Justeron for him to examine.

"Red and yellow garment, made of leather, bearing an insignia of a horse with some type of blade through its body." Justeron concluded to Jarrenum. "Did you get all of that?" Justeron asked the writer. "I got it word for word." Jarrenum replied with a smile.

"We're done here, lets report back to HQ, this report needs to be seen A.S.A.P" Joexus ordered his party.

After a 2 hour journey, the scouting group reached their headquarters. It was in the side of a mountain, a bustling marketplace where the many members of ROTP resided. It was built in levels, with the entrance at the bottom and the Council residing at the top. This scout group's quarters were located on the level below the Council's. This scout team was considered the best of all the ROTP scouting parties. Joexus and Justeron were considered nothing smaller than councilors almost, they were well respected among the many members. So of course, when the guards to the Council floor saw Joexus, followed by Justeron then Jarrenum, they quickly moved to give them access. The Council had sent out multiple scout teams, and had only received about half of them back. Some of the scout teams weren't as fast as the others, but they all came back with something or other to report. The Council was eager to hear anything relating to information.

Information was the lifeblood of the ROTP. They used information to plan nearly everything they did, that is why scouts are so important. Sure, there was an army, but scouts provided the most vital information, even if the army did the actual fighting.

Because of the fact that there were more scout groups than usual out today, the whole council was conversing with each other at a a big round table. When they saw Joexus approaching, they quickly focused their attention.

"While we were scouting, we came across something that can be dangerous to us or it could mean nothing at all, but we are back to show what we've gathered. Justeron, if you wouldn't mind, take it from here." Joexus started before turning to one of his oldest friends.

Justeron took Joexus' position. "During our scout mission, we came across the scene of a murder. 7 Argonian refugees lay dead in their beds, 2 of them were not in beds. All of them were male, armed, but with poor equipment. Their equipment was in such poor condition that it probably would not have mattered if they were awake. 6 of them were dead from a cut to the neck, one was dead from a blunt object to the head. This object was rather large, so a rather large person would only be able to handle it, it must have weighed a rather large amount. Around 8 people were roaming the campsite during time of murder. The murder could not have been committed any more than one day ago. There were an estimated 20 back-up in the bushes, ready to jump in if something happened. A scrap of tunic was recovered from the scene during a forensic scan, red and yellow in colour, made of leather and bearing the insignia of a horse with a blade through its body." Justeron recited, as he put the scrap of tunic on the table.

The Council conversed with each other for a minute, before asking Justeron "What is your opinion of what happened?"

"The Argonians were robbed after being killed, so I believe this was for money. What I'm yet to understand is why the Argonians chose to camp there. Being tired is one thing, but it was obviously not vacated. There was a fire there, which they certainly didn't make. It was obvious upon arrival it was owned. Another thing, I find something odd about how the perpetrators were so prepared to kill them. Something is wrong here." Justeron explained to The Council, who gave impressed looks to each other. Truly, Justeron's instinct and sharpness were god-given.

"You have done well, I trust we should expect a written report of this sometime soon?" The Argonian Council Member asked of the group. Jarrenum came forward, presenting a page of paper, with every detail described on it.

"Excellent, you have done well. You are free for the rest of the day, unless we have need of your services" The Argonian Council Member said with a smile.

All 3 scouts bowed, before exiting the room. This was the time for the Council to ponder their findings, as well as hope that another scout party could provide some more information on this. After all, it is a rather peculiar case.

Jarrenum planned on retiring to his quarters for a while, he needed to re-supply his ink and paper. Joexus and Justeron chose to wander the campsite for a while. Who would guess this whole mystery would have them traveling Cyrodiil, trying to find answers to even bigger mysteries.


End file.
